Guk-him Will Not Hold Primaries in Bundang-gap for Ahn's Candidacy and in Gyeyang-eul for Lee's Candidacy

Minsik Park Withdraws Candidacy, Ahn Receives Sole Nomination
Gyeayang-eul, Choice Between Yoon Heesook and Choi Wonsik

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the 1st meeting of the Central Election Countermeasures Committee for the nationwide local elections held at the National Assembly on the 9th, delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The People Power Party has virtually decided to strategically nominate candidates for the Bundang-gap and Gyeyang-eul constituencies in the June 1 by-elections for the National Assembly. Accordingly, Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, is likely to be the candidate for Bundang-gap, while for Gyeyang-eul, one of the former lawmakers Yoon Hee-sook or Choi Won-sik may be selected without a primary.

On the 9th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, said in his opening remarks at the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting, "We will finalize the nominations for the local elections through a closed supreme council meeting before and after this meeting," adding, "We will also proceed strategically with the by-election nominations." This marks a significant shift from the previous stance that "primaries are the principle in any constituency."

Earlier, in a radio interview, Lee also hinted at the intention to effectively nominate Ahn as the sole candidate by stating, "There are cases where we single-nominate the most competitive candidate among those who have entered, based on our internal investigations and principles." He added, "Chairman Ahn said he would run (support the candidacy), and afterward, we are considering the possibility of a single nomination."

On the same day, former lawmaker Park Min-sik, who had applied for the Bundang-gap nomination, withdrew his application on his Facebook, stating, "I am giving up running in the by-election." Meanwhile, Ahn Cheol-soo plans to apply for the nomination from the People Power Party after completing his resident registration at the Baekhyeon-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. Ahn began his campaign by visiting the Korea Senior Citizens Association, fire stations, and the Bundang District Office.

Currently, the People Power Party's applicants for the Bundang-gap nomination include Chairman Ahn, lawyer Jang Young-ha, author of the book "Goodbye, Lee Jae-myung," and Jeong Dong-hee, a former candidate in the Seoul mayoral by-election. The Democratic Party has nominated former lawmaker Kim Byung-kwan for this district.

In Gyeyang-eul, where Lee Jae-myung, senior advisor of the Democratic Party, will face off, the party has also settled on a strategic nomination. Within the party, the names of former lawmakers Yoon Hee-sook and Choi Won-sik are being discussed. Evaluating political symbolism in facing off against Lee, Yoon is considered suitable, while considering local ties, Choi, who served as a lawmaker for Gyeyang-eul during the 19th National Assembly, is seen as appropriate.

At present, Yoon is regarded as the more likely candidate. A People Power Party official said, "Since the Democratic Party has already made a nomination disregarding local ties, Yoon currently appears to be the leading candidate." However, since Lee Jun-seok stated on the day that he would select candidates closely connected to the region as much as possible, the outcome cannot be predicted prematurely. The People Power Party will announce the final nominations for the by-elections on the 10th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.